Germany news: Merz in Asia warns against weaponizing trade, calls for 'rules based' order
German diplomacy in Asia was in focus this week, as Chancellor Merz wraps up a three-country Asian business tour in South Korea. Meanwhile, President Steinmeier is set to hold talks with Xi Jinping. DW has more.
On the final day of his Asia tour, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized the need for cooperation between Germany and Asian economies to establish a rules-based economic order. During his visit to Seoul, he urged the European Union to lead efforts in shaping a more favorable situation for Asian nations grappling with the uncertainties brought on by a destabilized trade system.
The escalating competition between the US and China, driven by tariffs, technological decoupling strategies, and a race for vital raw materials and emerging technologies, has fundamentally altered the global economy's rules, Merz stated. These conflicts and shifts in power patterns are a concern for economically ambitious partners in the Indo-Pacific, as well as Germany and Europe.
Merz, during his stops in Singapore and Japan, advocated for free trade agreements and increased European collaboration with Asian nations. In Singapore on Wednesday, he called for a free trade agreement between the EU and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a multilateral free trade agreement linking the Asia Pacific and the Americas.
The UK is the sole European signatory, despite leaving the EU bloc in 2017, while the US withdrew during President Donald Trump's first term, canceling the initial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Merz expressed his desire to provide opportunities beyond bilateral agreements, firmly joining forces against unilateralism, autocratic power politics, and breaches of international law.
Merz highlighted the risks of supply chains becoming political tools, access to key technologies being obstructed, or raw material acquisitions resembling power displays rather than equitable partnerships. These actions jeopardize growth, prosperity, and regional security. South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong Sook, citing Germany as an example, noted that German firms utilize South Korea as a central hub to expand their presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Written by urgent.news from DW Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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